JP4729793B2 - Control device and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a control device, and more particularly to a control device used for an air conditioner.
[0002]
The present invention also relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly to an air conditioner including a control device.
[0003]
[Prior art]
In a separate type air conditioner composed of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, when a signal (operation mode, set room temperature, etc.) from the remote control is received by the indoor unit, the signal is sent to the outdoor unit via an electric cable. To the control board. The control board controls the refrigerant circuit based on the received signal (operation mode, set room temperature, etc.), and cool air or warm air is supplied from the indoor unit to the room. Further, the temperature of the cold air or the warm air is adjusted so that the room temperature becomes the set room temperature.
[0004]
The outdoor unit is provided with a compressor, a four-way switching valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a decompressor, and a fan at the lower part, and a control device for controlling these is disposed above the compressor. The control device includes an electrical box and a control plate attached to the electrical box with the component mounting surface facing downward. An electric cable from the control plate is connected to a compressor, a four-way switching valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, a decompressor and a fan through a hole on the side of the electrical equipment box. The control board controls these mechanical devices via this electric cable.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the lower part of the outdoor unit is electrically connected to the outdoors, and there is a possibility that dust and foreign matter may enter through a hole provided on the side surface of the circuit board for passing an electric cable. If dust or foreign matter adheres to the control plate, the control plate may malfunction. Further, if dust or foreign matter short-circuits between the conductor patterns on the control board, the electronic components on the control board may be destroyed.
[0006]
The subject of this invention is ensuring the countermeasure against dust of a control apparatus in an air conditioner.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A control plate according to a first aspect is a control device provided in, for example, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, to which an electric cable is connected, and includes a control plate and an electrical box. The control board has a component mounting surface on one surface and a connector to which an electric cable is connected to the component mounting surface, and controls the outdoor unit. The control box with the component mounting surface facing downward is attached to the electrical box, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The electrical box has a recess for exposing a part of the side surface and at least a part of the lower surface continuous to the part to the outside, and the connector for connecting an electric cable on the component mounting surface by the recess. Is exposed below and to the side of the electrical box.
[0008]
In the control device according to the first aspect, the electric cable from the connector on the control board is connected to an external mechanical device through the opening on the upper surface of the recess of the electrical equipment box. The mechanical device to be connected is a compressor, a four-way switching valve, a decompressor, a fan, or the like. The concave portion of the electrical box exposes the connector on the component mounting surface to the lower side and the side of the electrical box. According to the control device of the first aspect, since it is electrically connected to the outside only in the vicinity of the connector on the control board, it is possible to prevent dust and foreign matter from entering the inside of the electrical box.
[0009]
An air conditioner according to a second aspect includes an indoor unit, a refrigerant pipe, an outdoor unit, and a control device. The indoor unit exchanges heat between indoor air and the refrigerant, and supplies cool air or warm air into the room. One end of the refrigerant pipe is connected to the indoor unit and can circulate the refrigerant. The outdoor unit is connected to the other end of the refrigerant pipe, forms a refrigerant circuit together with the indoor unit and the refrigerant pipe, and supplies the compressed or decompressed refrigerant to the indoor unit through the refrigerant pipe. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is disposed in the outdoor unit and controls the refrigerant circuit. According to the air conditioner of the second aspect, the same effect as that of the control device according to the first aspect can be obtained.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
〔overall structure〕
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner of the present invention includes a refrigerant circuit 1, a drive circuit 2, and a control circuit 3. The control circuit 3 controls the refrigerant circuit 1 and the drive circuit 2, drives the refrigerant circuit 1 by the output from the drive circuit 2, controls the refrigerant flow in the refrigerant circuit 1, and adjusts the room temperature.
[0011]
A specific configuration of the refrigerant circuit 1 is shown in FIG. The refrigerant circuit 1 is connected to a compressor 11, a four-way switching valve 12 connected to the discharge side of the compressor 11, an outdoor heat exchanger 13 connected to the four-way switching valve 12, and an outdoor heat exchanger 13. The pressure reducer (electric expansion valve) 14, the indoor heat exchanger 15 connected to the pressure reducer 14, and an accumulator 16 are provided. The compressor 11, the four-way switching valve 12, the outdoor heat exchanger 13, the decompressor 14, and the accumulator 16 are provided in the outdoor unit, and the indoor heat exchanger 15 is provided in the indoor unit. The outdoor unit and the indoor unit are each provided with a fan for supplying an air flow to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and the indoor heat exchanger 15.
[0012]
The compressor 11 is a device that sucks refrigerant from the suction side, compresses the refrigerant, and discharges the compressed refrigerant from the discharge side. The four-way switching valve 12 has four pipe connections (A, B, C, D), and the pipes connected to each are between AB and CD (solid line) or between AD. -It is a device that conducts between B and C (dotted line) and changes the flow path. The outdoor heat exchanger 13 is formed in an L shape in plan view by folding the refrigerant pipe. The reason why it is L-shaped in plan view is to increase the contact area with the airflow. The decompressor 14 is a device that decompresses and discharges the refrigerant. For example, an electric expansion valve is used. The indoor heat exchanger 15 includes a plurality of plate-like fins arranged in parallel and a refrigerant pipe penetrating them. In order to increase the efficiency of heat exchange between air and the refrigerant, the fins are made of a material having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and a plurality of fins are arranged in parallel to increase the contact area with the air. . The accumulator 16 is connected to the suction side of the compressor 11 and is a device for preventing the liquid refrigerant from being mixed into the compressor 11.
[0013]
The configuration of the drive circuit 2 that drives the refrigerant circuit 1 is shown in FIG. The drive circuit 2 mainly includes a rectifier circuit 21 and an inverter 22. The rectifier circuit 21 is composed of a diode bridge, a large-capacity aluminum electrolytic capacitor, and the like, and the input side is connected to the commercial power supply 20. The inverter 22 is a bridge circuit composed of power elements such as FETs and IGBTs, and is driven by a drive signal from the control circuit 3. In this drive circuit, when power from the commercial power source 20 is input to the rectifier circuit 21, it is rectified by the diode bridge of the rectifier circuit 21 and smoothed by the aluminum electrolytic capacitor. The rectified and smoothed power is input to the inverter 22. When the power element of the inverter 22 is driven by the drive signal from the control circuit 3, the output from the rectifier circuit 21 is converted into a power signal having a predetermined frequency and output to the motor 11 a of the compressor 11. In this way, the compressor 11 is driven. Further, the rotation frequency of the compressor 11 is adjusted by adjusting the frequency of the drive signal from the control circuit 3 to adjust the cooling or heating capability.
[0014]
FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the control circuit 3. The control circuit 3 mainly includes a control unit 30, a memory 31, a sensor 32, an electric circuit board 33, an indoor unit microcomputer 51, an I / F 52, a receiving unit 53, and a sensor 54. The indoor unit microcomputer 51, the I / F 52, the receiving unit 53, and the sensor 54 are provided in the indoor unit 50. Moreover, the control part 30, the memory 31, the sensor 32, and the drive circuit 2 are mounted in the control board 45 of the outdoor unit 40 so that it may mention later.
[0015]
The control unit 30 is configured to control the refrigerant circuit 1 and the drive circuit 2. The control unit 30 includes a microprocessor that executes a program of a predetermined control procedure to control the refrigerant circuit 1 and the drive circuit 2, and a drive circuit that generates a drive signal to be output to the drive circuit 2. Yes. The memory 31 stores set room temperature, set humidity, operation mode, control procedure program, and the like. The memory 31 may be provided separately from the control unit 30 as shown in FIG. 4, or may be built in the microprocessor. The sensor 32 includes a temperature sensor that detects the outside air temperature and a temperature sensor that detects the refrigerant piping temperature. The electric circuit board 33 is connected to the drive circuit 2, the control unit 30, the commercial power supply 20, and the I / F 52. The circuit board 33 is a noise removal circuit that removes the electric signal from the I / F 52 and the noise included in the commercial power supply 20, or an interface circuit that converts the electric signal from the I / F 52 into an electric signal that can be received by the control unit 30. Is included. The indoor unit microcomputer 51 transmits electrical signals from the receiving unit 53 and the sensor 54 to the electrical circuit board 33 via the I / F 52. The I / F 52 converts the electrical signal from the indoor unit microcomputer 51 into an electrical signal of a predetermined level and outputs it to the electrical circuit board 33. The receiving unit 53 receives a signal from a remote controller or the like and outputs it to the indoor unit microcomputer 51. The sensor 54 includes a temperature sensor that detects room temperature and a humidity sensor that detects indoor humidity.
[0016]
[Air conditioning operation]
In such an air conditioner, when the receiving unit 53 receives the operation mode, the set room temperature, etc., a signal of this instruction is output from the microcomputer 51 to the I / F 52 and converted into an electric signal of a predetermined level and is supplied to the circuit board 33. Is output. This electrical signal (operation mode, set room temperature) is subjected to noise removal by the noise removal circuit of the circuit board 33 and converted to an electrical signal that can be received by the microcomputer by the interface circuit. These commands (operation mode, set room temperature) are stored in a predetermined area of the memory 31 by the control unit 30. The control unit 30 controls the refrigerant circuit 1 based on this command (operation mode, set room temperature) and a program stored in the memory 31, and outputs a drive signal to the drive circuit 2. Specifically, the control unit 30 switches the four-way switching valve 12 and adjusts the valve of the decompressor 14 to a predetermined opening degree. Further, the compressor 11 of the refrigerant circuit 1 is driven by converting the power input from the commercial power supply 20 to the drive circuit 2 via the electric circuit board 33 into a power signal having a predetermined frequency.
[0017]
Hereinafter, the flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 2 during cooling and heating will be described with reference to FIG.
[0018]
During the cooling operation, the four-way switching valve 12 is set to a solid line position, the decompressor 14 is throttled to a predetermined opening degree, and the compressor 11 is started. The high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is condensed by the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and then decompressed by the decompressor 14. The decompressed low-pressure refrigerant evaporates in the indoor heat exchanger 15 and then returns to the compressor 11 via the four-way switching valve 12 and the accumulator 16. When the refrigerant evaporates in the indoor heat exchanger 15, the indoor air is deprived of heat by the refrigerant, and the indoor air deprived of this heat acts as cold air.
[0019]
During the heating operation, the four-way switching valve 12 is set to the dotted line position, the decompressor 14 is throttled to a predetermined opening degree, and the compressor 11 is started. The high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is condensed by the indoor heat exchanger 15 and then decompressed by the decompressor 14. The decompressed low-pressure refrigerant evaporates in the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and then returns to the discharge side of the compressor 11 via the four-way switching valve 12 and the accumulator 13. When the refrigerant condenses in the indoor heat exchanger 15, heat is released to the indoor air, so that the indoor air that has absorbed this heat acts as warm air.
[0020]
[Control board]
Hereinafter, specific configurations and arrangements of the outdoor unit 40 and the indoor unit 50 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment will be described, and then the control plate 45 will be described.
[0021]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the indoor unit 40 and the indoor unit 50 of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the inside of the outdoor unit 40. The outdoor unit 40 is installed outdoors with the rear surface facing the building, and the outside air sucked from the rear surface by a propeller fan (not shown) is brought into contact with the outdoor heat exchanger 13 and discharged from the front surface. The indoor unit 50 brings indoor air sucked from above into contact with the indoor heat exchanger 15 and supplies the indoor air from the outlet through a cross flow fan (not shown).
[0022]
In the indoor unit 50, the indoor heat exchanger 15, the indoor unit microcomputer 51, the I / F 52, the receiving unit 53, and the sensor 54 described above are provided inside the main body casing 55. As shown in FIG. 5, the outdoor unit 40 includes a main body casing 41 and a closing valve cover 42. Inside, as shown in FIG. 6, an outdoor heat exchanger 13, a machine room 43, and an electrical box 44 are provided.
[0023]
The machine room 43 is provided with a compressor 11, a four-way switching valve 12, a decompressor 14, and an accumulator 16. These compressor 11, four-way switching valve 12, decompressor 14, accumulator 16 and outdoor heat exchanger 13 are connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe as shown in FIG. 2, and the indoor heat exchanger 15 is further connected by pipes 46 and 47. It is connected to the.
[0024]
The electrical box 44 is provided with a control plate 45 and an electrical path plate 33. As shown in FIG. 6, the electric circuit board 33 is arranged side by side at one end of the control board 45, and is electrically connected to the control unit 30 on the control board 45 and the input side of the drive circuit 2. The circuit board 33 is connected to the commercial power supply 20 and the indoor unit 50 (I / F 52) via the electric cable 48.
[0025]
The control plate 45 is a control device in which a conductor pattern is drawn on an insulating plate made of epoxy resin or phenol resin. On the control board 45, as described above, the control unit 30, the memory 31, the sensor 32, and the drive circuit 2 are mounted. The output of the drive circuit 2 is connected to the compressor 11, and the control unit 30 is connected to the four-way switching valve 12 and the pressure reducer 14. The drive circuit 2 is connected to the fan of the indoor unit 50. The control plate 45 is attached with the component mounting surface facing downward so that dust and foreign matter are less likely to adhere to the component mounting surface.
[0026]
7A and 7B are a bottom view and a side view of the electrical equipment box 44 to which the control plate 45 is attached, respectively, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the recess 44a of the electrical equipment box 44. In FIG. 7B and FIG. 8, for convenience of explanation, the component mounting surface that is actually attached downward is shown upward.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 7A, a connector 45a is provided on the control plate 45, and an electric cable from the compressor 11, the four-way switching valve 12, the pressure reducer 14, a fan and a sensor is connected to the connector 45a. Is done. The electrical box 44 has a recess 44 a in the vicinity of the connector 45. The recess 44 a is formed in a U shape at the edge of the electrical box 44 in plan view. As shown in FIGS. 7B and 8, the recess 44a includes side surfaces 44b, 44c, and 44d. On the other hand, the lower surface of the recess 44a (the surface on the side where the control plate 45 is attached) is open, and the connector 45a is exposed. Since the side surfaces 44b, 44c, and 44d are formed in the recess 44a, the electrical box 44 is formed so as not to be opened to the outside in most of the recess 44a.
[0028]
According to the electrical equipment box 44 of this embodiment, since only a small part of the connector 45a of the control plate 45 is exposed to the outside, it is possible to prevent dust and foreign matter from entering from the outside of the electrical equipment box 44.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
According to the control device of the first aspect, since it is electrically connected to the outside only in the vicinity of the connector on the control board, it is possible to prevent dust and foreign matter from entering the inside of the electrical box.
[0030]
According to the air conditioner of the second aspect, the same effect as that of the control device according to the first aspect can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows the refrigerant circuit.
FIG. 3 shows its driving circuit.
FIG. 4 shows its control circuit.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 shows the inside of the outdoor unit.
FIG. 7 is a bottom view (a) and a side view (b) of an electrical equipment box to which a control plate is attached.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the recess of the electrical box.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigerant circuit 40 Outdoor unit 44 Electrical box 45 Control board 46, 47 Refrigerant piping 50 Indoor unit

Claims (2)

A control device provided in an air conditioner and connected to an electric cable,
A control board that has a component mounting surface on one side, has a connector to which the electric cable is connected to the component mounting surface, and controls the outdoor unit;
A rectangular parallelepiped electrical box to which the control plate with the component mounting surface facing downward is attached;
With
The electrical box has a recess for exposing a part of the side surface and at least a part of a lower surface continuous to the part to the outside,
The connector for connecting the electric cable on the component mounting surface is exposed to the lower side and the side of the electrical box by the recess.
Control device. An indoor unit that exchanges heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant and supplies cold air or warm air into the room;
One end is connected to the indoor unit, a refrigerant pipe capable of circulating the refrigerant,
An outdoor unit connected to the other end of the refrigerant pipe, constituting a refrigerant circuit together with the indoor unit and the refrigerant pipe, and supplying the compressed or decompressed refrigerant to the indoor unit through the refrigerant pipe;
The control device according to claim 1, which is disposed in the outdoor unit and controls the refrigerant circuit;
Air conditioner equipped with.

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